


You Don’t Mind?

by ImmortalHK



Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-25
Updated: 2019-04-23
Packaged: 2019-11-05 10:28:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17917001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImmortalHK/pseuds/ImmortalHK
Summary: Swerve asks if you would like to be his roommate.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> (Y/D)= your designation

Swerve had stopped you on your way back from the medbay. You had just finished talking to Ratchet about making use of your (admittedly lacking) skills as a field medic back in the war. You were more medical supply staff than a medic, making use of your unfortunate combination of Shuttle and Minibot by transporting emergency supplies instead of other mechs, which just wasn’t possible with how small you were. The little amount of medical knowledge that position got you was enough to secure a job as a part time nurse. Anything to make yourself useful and get the others used to a branded decepticon wandering the ship.

“Oh, can I help you…? It’s Swerve, right? The one with the bar?” You were still struggling with everyone’s names, but Swerve was simple enough.

“Yeah! You’re (Y/D), right? I’m shocked you know my name, I don’t think people talk about me much and I haven’t seen you at the bar- you should stop by sometime! I’ll give you a round on the House!”

“Oh, I don’t really drink-“ high grade and the majority of the decepticon populace didn’t mix, so you tended to avoid it.

“I’ll mix you something virgin then! Oh, but that’s not what I wanted to talk about, they gave you a room yet? Of course they did you’ve been here for cycles, that was dumb to ask, but do you have a roommate? I know it can be lonely without one if you’re new, so I figured I’d offer my hab!”

Swerve made a kind of welcoming gesture, with a huge, lopsided grin on his face. 

The offer completely threw you. Obviously that kind of hospitality wasn’t an autobot thing, you’d have gotten it from someone else by now if it was, so this mech is either abnormally trusting and nice or thinks the pointy purple symbol on your chest is a joke.

“U-um, if you aren’t interested I understand! The offer to visit the bar still stands! I’m sorry to bother-“

“You don’t mind?”

“Huh?”

“Y’know..” you gestured weakly at your brand.

“Oh! I mean… as long as you don’t kill me in my sleep and then rampage on every autobot on the ship it should be fine, right?” He laughed nervously before turning away and whisper-yelling at himself for saying something so stupid.

It probably wasn’t the best idea to bunk with someone you don’t know, but this mech was harmless looking enough, cute even, and chatty. He might even chat to the others about how friendly you are, to take up his offer so easily. Anything to get the others used to a branded decepticon wandering the ship.

“What’s your room number?”

Swerve looked up at you with what you were sure had to be wonder. “Huh?”

“I don’t have a lot of stuff in my Hab, shouldn’t take more than one trip from my old one to yours, what’s your room number?”

More stunned silence before that goofy grin spread back across his face. “C-23!”


	2. Chapter 2

You had settled into a nice little routine on the lost light. You spent pretty much all day in the medbay, fixing up whoever had gotten caught up in Brainstorm’s weapon testing, often Brainstorm himself. You’d chat with First Aid on occasion, though the conversation would often drift to why you were so adamant on not getting an autobot badge. You’d be offended if it didn’t sound like he wanted you to get one just so he could take it off your hands later. You and Ratchet rarely spoke outside of professional terms, which you were thankful for. You found him- most of the higher ranking bots on the ship, really- kind of intimidating. In fact you were still reeling from a lecture Ultra Magnus gave you about using your alt-mode in the hallways.

You didn’t really have any official hours, at least not yet. So you left whenever you got tired and came back whenever you’d wake up the next day. Swerve was always at his bar by the time you got back, but he would leave a cube of Energon with a little bendy straw in it for you before he left. It was weirdly sweet of him, honestly. The kind of gesture you absolutely were not used to and definitely had no idea how to repay. By the time he got back himself you’d be deep in recharge.

You settled on your berth and started downing your Energon. You kept a little datapad under your pillow and scrolled through autopedia as you drank, mostly checking the newly edited articles to see if your old decepticon scout buddies were still vandalizing the slag out of it. They were.

The fun of that died once you realized you were sucking up air from an empty cube. You really should do something to thank Swerve for not forcing you to make the trek to the fuel room from the med bay all the time. Maybe you’d take him up on his offer to visit the bar. Maybe. Possibly.

By the time you’d fully made up your mind you were already halfway there.

“(Y/D)!” Swerve called to you as soon as he could see you. “Whirl! Scoot, by roommate’s taken that seat.” He started pushing Whirl towards one of the tables.

“What? You’re gonna kick me to the curb for the con!?” Whirl made an angry, sweeping gesture with his claws and you almost went out the way you came in. 

“They’re my friend! And you’ve had enough, Start another fight in here and I’m cutting you off!”

Whirl visibly pouted as he stood up. You didn’t think it was possible to pout without a face. He made his way over to Cyclonus and the tiny white one whose name you never caught. You quietly made your way to the now empty bar stool.

“So! Sorry about that, it’s easier to get him to move than anyone else, believe it or not. But hey! Welcome to my humble business~ what can I get ya? You don’t take engex, right? We got plenty without it!” He grinned at you as he shook up a drink for someone else.

“Um, a shot of straight engex and then give me something sweet and chargeless for the rest of the night?” You didn’t mean for that to be a question, but you honestly kind of forgot how much or little one shot would do to you.

Swerve looked a little confused, but shook it off easily. “Comin right up!” 

After he took care of some mechs who had been waiting on him, you ended up with a tiny glass of engex and a generous glass of something that was supposed to taste like lemonade, whatever that was. You downed the engex and immediately chased it with the syrupy sweet, kind of sour drink next to it.

Swerve laughed a bit, getting your attention.

“Can’t stand the taste? I can understand that! I could have mixed it with something more bearable if you wanted though.”

“If you did that, I’d want more and end up embarrassing myself” you let out a weak chuckle.

“I’m sure you aren’t half as bad drunk as anyone else here, we’ve had plenty of broken tables y’know. What brings you, anyway? I pretty much gave up on you showing. I thought this wasn’t your scene.” Swerve plucked the little shot glass up and started to clean it. “Not that I don’t think you belong here or anything, you’re fine, I’d just figured if you wanted to be you’d have already and-“

“I wanted to thank you, for the Energon you give me after work. Our schedules don’t mesh often.” You interject before he can talk himself into overheating.

“Oh! That’s nothing. Really it’s nothing. Completely nothing-“

You let him ramble for a little bit, Feeling your systems warm and taking another long sip of your drink. Eventually he’d started to talk about how he started his little bar, how he planned to start another once the quest was over, with some mech named Blurr. How he’d been on plenty of quests, though when he described them they seemed more like run of the mill antics. It was nice, watching him mix drinks and listening to him chatter. You eventually finished your lemonade and he’d started on mixing you up another.

“You must have had tons of adventures yourself, right? Wait, lemme guess! If you told me you’d have to kill me?”

“I…. wouldn’t say that. Whole war kinda ran together in my head- oh! I used to kinda dabble in chemistry.” You stirred up your drink with your curly straw. “I wanted to get out of the medical division so I’d sneak into the labs and mess around trying to make something that would prove my worth. Mixmaster used to rip me apart for it.” Swerve winced at that and you decided to tone it down on any descriptions of physical harm. “All I ever got good at was making candy though, used to sell it to the scouts.” 

“You can make candy? Ooh! You should teach me! Could be good for business!” He was suddenly leaving over the counter, visor bright with excitement.

“Oh! Um, maybe? I wasn’t really all that good at it-“

“Then we could learn together, it’ll be fun!”

Primus this bot.

“I’ll uh- think about it?”

That seemed to satisfy him. 

You spent the rest of the night drinking probably too much of that syrupy Energon, talking just enough to keep Swerve talking and watching others walk into and out of the bar. You’d ended up promising to help him close up, which probably meant you’d end up sleeping in next cycle. You decided it was worth it. In fact, you decided you could do this again sometime. Maybe even chance a couple more shots. Maybe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is it clear yet that I’m terrified of writing dialogue for the majority of the cast? I’m so scared of fucking up someone’s Favorite Bot like you have no fucking clue-
> 
> Also I didn’t think I’d write more of this but I was in a weird mood and this is where I decided to put the energy.


	3. Chapter 3

You eventually did decide to make candy with Swerve. Well, Swerve decided by leaving a note with instructions to visit him after work with the cube he always left you, along with several more cubes he no doubt expected you to carry with you all the way to his bar. That wasn’t irritating enough to get you to not go, but it was enough to get you to take your sweet time with the cube you drank before leaving.

You had half the cubes stuffed into your alt before remembering how much Ultra Magnus did NOT want you flying in the damn halls and deciding to simply pray you wouldn’t drop them all while you were walking.

You did pretty well until someone slammed into your back and sent the cubes clattering to the floor.

“Oh! Oh gosh I’m so sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going, are you alright?”

You weren’t until you peeped from behind your servos, which you’d covered your face with on instinct. Thankfully, none of the cubes had cracked open and spilled. “I-I’m good, I think, I’ll get these up-“

“Let me help!” It wasn’t until they were stuffing their arms with Energon that you got a good look at who you were talking to. It was Cyclonus’ friend, or you thought they were friends? What was his name again?

“I’m Tailgate! You’re the new mech we picked up, right?”

“Yeah,” Tailgate couldn’t pick up many cubes, or maybe just didn’t want to, but the amount you had now was way less daunting. “I’m (Y/D), it’s nice to meet you, and thanks…” Primus it was weird having someone make such casually kind gestures. You were fully prepared to have to pick everything up on your own.

“So, where are you taking these? I’ll help carry them!”

“Swerve’s, But you’re clearly in a hurry I really-“

“Oh not at all! I mean, I was on the way to surprise Cyclonus, but he probably wouldn’t appreciate me barging in on him like that anyway, and I’m friends with Swerve so he’ll appreciate me helping you for sure!”

You wanted to argue, but something about Tailgate made you want to move at his pace. Before you knew it the two of you were knocking on the door to the closed bar, cubes at your pedes for Swerve to carry his share.

It didn’t take long for Swerve to excitedly answer.

“(Y/D)! I almost thought you wouldn’t show!” His grin took up almost his whole face, and he almost tripped over the three cubes left on the floor for him, causing Tailgate to snort. “Oh ha ha, I could knock a tooth out like that y’know!” Swerve pouted, which only caused Tailgate to giggle harder. 

“M’ sorry, pff- is this for the bar? I didn’t think you distilled in house.” Tailgate regained his composure as Swerve picked up his cubes and started for the back of the bar.

“I don’t, and it’s not, me and (Y/D) are making candy with it.”

“Ooh!” Tailgate bounced a bit, making his cubes rattle in his arms. “Can I help? I’d love to help!”

“Sure?” You offer. “I mean it’s Swerve’s space but I could work with both of you.”

“Kitchen’s big enough. It’s just behind where the engex is stored, come!”

“That doesn’t sound the safest.” You can’t help the little laugh that comes out as you speak.

“Yeah, cause it’s not.”

The three of you file into a little kitchen, really it was just a few burners, pots and pans and a sink, but that was more than enough. You reach into a cabinet for a big pot and set it on one of the burners.

“We’re probably gonna need a step stool.” Swerve commented, noting the struggle you went through to set the pot right. Tailgate was already on it and set one from the corner in front of you.

You sit on it to get a good look at your new culinary students. “Now! This is gonna require boiling Energon, and we all know Energon and heat don’t mix, but I’ve never blown anyone up doing this so me telling you this is just insurance! It’s fine! That pot’ll hold three cubes, which should get up a good 3 dozen goodies, and once that’s done we can do the rest if we’re up for it, questions?”

“You’re a decepticon?”

“Yes, Tailgate.”

“They let you be a decepticon?”

“Under the conditions that I don’t do anything suspicious at all ever. Almost got kicked off for an alt mode violation.”

“Even after everything they did!?” Tailgate said that in a way that proved he didn’t have much first hand experience with what the decepticons did. Swerve looked visibly uncomfortable.

“I’m one of the freedom fighter decepticons, fully aware that Megatron went off the slag. Really fond of the equal rights parts though, not ready to let that go. Let’s cook some candy!” You stand on the stool and Swerve hands you a cube. “Crack it open, could you?” You start to rummage through the cabinet above your head for little shakers full of metal shavings that were supposed to be used in drinks.

Tailgate leaned against the counter and looked up at you. “Are you really? I’m not saying you aren’t but”

“Tailgate I’m gonna shake you!” You knew Swerve couldn’t stay mortified into silence for long. “You can’t just ask someone if they’re evil that’s- that’s not DONE and even if they are you think that’s gonna stop them from blowing us up? If anything you’re gonna make em Kill us faster- n-not that I think you’re like that, (Y/D), of course I don’t I wouldn’t have asked you to be my roommate if I did but, but,” Swerve trailed off once his visor started to fritz. You took the opportunity to pluck a cube from his servos and start filling up the pot.

“Tailgate, why are you asking? Honestly?” 

“Well, I was gonna be a decepticon for a while! I-I believe in equality and everything, but once I heard about everything else I just couldn’t! How can you!?”

Swerve had slammed his head against a wall.

“If you believe in a mech’s right to be and do whatever they want regardless of frame type you’re already a whole decepticon.” Take another cube, pop it open over the pot. “Megatron losing it doesn’t make the non-awful versions of the manifesto bad. I just wanna be able to get a decent job in something that isn’t long haul delivery, and this badge says all that in less words, you should flirt with it again sometime! Hand me one more?” Tailgate did just that. “I’d offer to talk more later but I think that would get us in trouble. Swerve! Come back I’m gonna show you how high to set the burner.”

Swerve looked all too happy for a change in topic. You explained why high heat would result in an explosion, while medium high wouldn’t, and where exactly medium high was on the unmarked temperature dial. Tailgate got you a big spoon to stir and keep the temperature constant, and eventually you reached a point where you could stop and let it cook for a while.

“I’ll get some drinks!” Swerve left for a moment and came back with three bottles of sweetened Energon, thankfully being aware that being overcharged in the kitchen was a bad call and skipping the engex. You all stood in front of the pot and watched it bubble, sometimes Tailgate wouldn’t be able to resist stirring it a little, and Swerve couldn’t resist talking.

“Did you do this often? I didn’t think you guys even ate candy- not like that anyway.”

“It was rare, really I only made it to keep my friends entertained.”

Swerve took a long sip. “You still keep in touch with them?”

“Not really, Lot of Them don’t even know where I am.”

“Oh, that must be lonely.” Tailgate said, finally bored of stirring up the thickening Energon. 

“It’s fine, I’m comfortable where I am, I think…” you set your half empty bottle aside and pull out some trays. “Alright who wants to get the paint burned off their servos?”

Swerve snorted. “I would prefer not to! Tailgate you up for it?”

“How could you volunteer your dear friend to get boiled!” You laugh and start to pour the contents of the pot onto the trays. “We don’t have molds so we gotta work while they’re still warm to shape them. Don’t burn yourself.”

After a short while of trying to get the two minibots to not burn themselves on hot Energon, the three of you started shaping the just-cool-enough-to-touch blobs of candy into shapes.

“Look! I made a heart!” Swerve grinned as he held his shape up.

“What the pit is a heart?”

“Human symbol, it means love and stuff, I think it looks cute!” Swerve laughs as he sets it on a spare tray to finish cooling.

“Ooh, show me! I wanna make one for Cyclonus!”

You can’t help laughing as the two work. Conversation devolves into gossip and chatter about Swerves Human programs. You’d talk About how your old friends liked their candies as you sprinkled on metal shavings and filled a few small ones with mercury from a stolen medical syringe.

(“Are you sure Ratchet’s ok with you using that?”

“No, so don’t tell him!”)

Once you were all done you had a sizable pile of the candy that you didn’t eat while making it, which you were dividing into cleaned out empty Energon cubes to take back with you.

“You think Cyclonus is gonna like the ones you made, Tailgate?” Swerve said while filling up the used pot with cleaning solvent to scrub out later.

“Will all the work I did I’ll force him to!”

That got a giggle out of you. “He’ll love them or I’ll have words with him myself!”

“I feel like any of us trying to intimidate Cyclonus is a lost cause.” Swerve mused with a wide, amused smile on his face.

“We gotta gang up on him together then!” Tailgate chirped.

“Crawl all over him like scraplets.”

That got all of you laughing as you filtered out of the bar.

“Thanks for helping out, Tailgate.” Swerve said as he locked up the bar.

“Thanks for having me! We should hang out more often, really.” Tailgate took one of Swerves hands for a moment. Another one of those bizarre autobot displays of niceness. Long as he didn’t do that to you. “It was nice getting to meet you too, (Y/D)!” And your free hand was being held, just for a moment, before Tailgate was saying his goodbyes and rounding a corner out of sight.

“So, walk you to our hab?” Swerve looked a little nervous as he got ready to start moving. You can’t help a small laugh.

“Thanks, I wouldn’t know the way without you.”

You two walked back quickly, Swerve filling the silence with talk of how surprisingly cute Tailgate and Cyclonus were. You honestly intended to keep talking to him once you hit your berth, but you were always bad at staying awake. Swerve would be there next cycle though. That was a surprisingly comforting thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m depressed gotta write more of whatever this is!
> 
> I’m not saying they should have just let Tailgate walk around with a decepticon badge but I am saying it would have been cute. Also this fic is decepticreep propaganda! I’ve deceived you!


	4. Chapter 4

“C’mon mech, you can’t just blow your arms off and expect me to be like, cool with it every time.”

As time passed at your job in the medbay, you seem to have found a stable, comfortable position as Brainstorm’s personal limb-restoration-expert. Expert was a bit of an overstatement, but it made you feel good.

“Listen, this time was a complete accident! And my work will save all of our lives one day- soon honestly, this is all necessary!”

“Sure, sit still? I’m almost done…” you were learning rewiring much faster than you ever did back with the decepticons. As often as your old teammates needed repairs, you rarely had decent equipment or instruction. A blown off arm would have taken you a full cycle back when the war was in full swing, and now it was something to knock out quickly at the end of your shift. “Alright! Think you can last a little longer this time? I like working on other bots.”

“Hey, you should be honored to help further my genius, (Y/D)! You’re helping me continue very important- hey don’t just walk off!”

Brainstorm was funny, but you wanted to clock out. You quickly cleaned and put away all the tools you had used before slipping out of medical and heading towards your hab. You were so used to your routine of settling into your berth with your Energon and your datapad that you barely noticed that Swerve was home early. He was a few paragraphs into his explanation before you had your full attention on him.

“So I decided I should just close up early, movie nights tonight anyway and it’s an earth flick- I didn’t choose it so it’s probably not as fun as what I’d pick but It’s still fun to watch Earth stuff, as long as it’s not something weird and artsy, I dunno if anyone here likes that though, maybe ultra Magnus? Wouldn’t that be funny?”

Pit this bot could talk! You took a long slurp of your Energon before responding. “He looks like he likes boring stuff, but I dunno enough about him or Earth. Movie night?”

“Oh! You’ve never been, right? Rewind sets them up, we all get together and watch movies in the rec room! You should come!” He was suddenly holding your free hand, grinning widely with excitement. It was so endearing you almost forgot to be uncomfortable.

“Sure, it's tonight? You can take me-“

“Great! It’ll be fun, I promise!”

“You don’t even know what we’re watching though.”

“If it sucks we can move to the back and throw snack wrappers at the others.”

“I'm In.”

With that decided, the two of you moved on to idle gossip, you’d let Swerve talk about the rumors of Cyclonus and Tailgate getting together, and of some top secret files Rewind might-maybe have stored.

“Ooh, that reminds me,” you start, once you think Swerve’s starting to run out of steam. “I knew a data stick way back, all he stored, like, ever, was pictures and videos of mechs with rotary alt modes. Isn’t that weird?” You only vaguely remembered him, he was a little buggy, short, blue and had a face mask. You would have liked him more if he wasn’t, well, weird.

“That’s creepy!” Swerve laughs, somewhere between a nervous chuckle and a genuine giggle. “Why do you think? Maybe someone he liked died with one?”

“What the frag? That’s so dark! Why’s that your first guess!?” You find yourself laughing as you shift on your berth. 

“I dunno! It was war, right? Ok, maybe he wanted to be a rotary then?”

“Frame envy’s a good guess, but I’m pretty sure he was cold constructed, he could have just, like, been a rotary.”

“Oh… its a fetish then-“ Swerve stopped himself and covered his mouth as you started laughing again.

“Gross! Primus! Yeah it was probably a fetish.”

“Who wouldn’t want their spike spun at 500 rpm?”

“Shut UP!” You throw your empty cube of Energon at him. “I don’t wanna think about helicopter spike I’ll die! Don’t we have your thing to go to?”

Swerve suddenly jumps towards the door. “Oh right! The movie should be starting soon, follow me!”

Swerve led you to the rec room, where things were already almost set up for the movie. You followed Swerve to a couple of seats near the front and settled in. Tailgate came in a bit later and said hi to you both, but quickly decided to stay in the back with Cyclonus. You ended up sitting next to a mech named Nightbeat, who seemed nice enough. Swerve somehow got his servos on a big bag of goodies and was already working on them by the time the movie started. It felt strangely nice to sit in the little room packed with mechs. And once you’d started reaching into Swerve’s bag for sweets and idly listening to whispered commentary from the others behind you, you almost felt at home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got that Hyper Depression, which is equal parts why I haven’t been posting and why I’m posting now. I like Brainstorm and Nightbeat but am not confident in writing either of them which I guess is the theme of this fic lmao.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this on my phone at 3 in the morning, when my love for swerve isat it’s peak.


End file.
